It was just a dream or was it?
by tacet tenebris88
Summary: He keeps hearing voices, hallucinations around him and marks keep appearing but he has no recollection of how they got there. Whats going ? whose behind it ? is there destruction in its wake?
1. Chapter 1

**It was just a dream or was it?**

It was about 3 am and The Bus was eerily quiet, for once the entire Bus was actually asleep, all at the same time, which for Agent Coulson's Team, was a huge rarity. Even Phil Coulson himself, was plagued by dreams and nightmares of passed mistakes.

He was sat in the kitchen with a cup of tea in his hand and peace was in the air or so he thought. He just sat there appreciating quietness that seldom happened on The Bus for one reason or another.

A few hours must have passed and he felt his forehead hit the counter top, his head weighed down with the urge to sleep. His face shot up as he felt the cold run down his spine and in his core he couldn't understand why but something didn't feel right. He could hear a voice in the distance, a voice he thought he had heard before but could not place but it sent eerie feeling into his heart that set like a lead weight.

The lights on board The Bus had suddenly gone black apart from the emergency generator, casting the glimmer of light a lot like the hope he felt when the sceptre pierced through his heart, small sharp and very short he could not see much further than the end of his arm but he knew the set-up of his Bus better then anyone.

He started navigating his way to the stairs but he had the distinct feeling that he was not alone but he couldn't shake it, it had been happening a lot, literally, but he thought he was just tired or overworked.

He attempted to make his way to the generators to sort out the wiring but his movements became slower and slower he just couldn't understand what was happening.

_***Tahiti is a magical place you know, Phil***_

He could not understand where the voices were coming from but he knew that he need to get those lights back and fast, something was wrong with The Bus and he was going to find what the hell was going on.

The faint echo surround his mind, a high-pitched voice was heard once more.

_***Tahiti is a magical place you know, Phil***_

One minute he was down near the generator and the next, he was in his office. He opened his eyes to see that chaos had reigned in his office. Stuff was strewn everywhere and his desk was split in two with blood smeared across the walls.

_***Tahiti is a magical place you know, Phil***_

He managed to get back on his feet again but the world was still spinning, he followed the voice to his room but the picture that met him shook him to his core and tore his heart out of his chest.

There laid strewn across the blood soaked bed sheets was Melinda May, slashes across her jacket and her head lolled across the edge of the bed and beautiful brown eyes staring with the glazed look into the abyss but the lights were out.

Phil dropped to his knees, a cry ripped from his throat for the whole Bus to hear, but nothing could be louder then the pain that was in his heart, he rushed over to the body to feel for a pulse but the life had deserted once more.

_***Tahiti is a magical place you know, Phil***_

"Phil? Phil! Come on, Phil! You need to wake up! Philip Coulson, you listen to me, damn it!"

Phil could hear something and it didn't sound like the voice he had been hearing, "MMMMMmmmm Melinda please don't leave me. I never got to say it! I DIDN'T GET TO SAY IT!"

He was thrashing, his whole body pulsating with rage guilt, sorrow a thousand emotions running through like bullets from a gun but something did not feel right.

"Phil baby, wake up hun..."

His eyes flickered open and he took stock of the room around him realising with a flood of relief, it was his room on The Bus and nothing was out of place except for one thing, looking at him with a look that could only be deemed as terrified, was Melinda May.

She put her hand on his face, "Hey Phil, what's going on? What have you not been telling me? How long has this been happening? Was this after Rei-"

She never got chance to finish what she was about to say because her mouth was otherwise occupied. Phil had grabbed the side of her face and kissed her like it would be his last, she could feel it all the pent up emotions being poured into the kiss. She felt his fear, panic, sorrow, desperation and love pour over her as he moved over her mouth and his hands roamed her body ensuring that what he had seen was not a mirage or illusion but that she was really here.

The kiss came to an end as he held her close, "You're here, you're really here," he kept muttering this over and over.

"Shhhh shhh, Phil. I am here." May soothed.

"It was so real, I came blood everywhere, your body snapped in two and Loki murmuring the same words over and over 'Tahiti is a magical place you know, Phil'." He couldn't help but shudder as he relived the memory of his nightmare.

"Look Phil, you can see I am not dead or snapped in two. But I am certain we have some serious talking to do. You've never kissed me like that, ever! Not that I am complaining." She said with a small smirk on her face. "You can have nightmares anytime, if that is what I get in return and I'll happily prove that I am alive. Now let me take your mind of it and show you our future."

A few hours later he was aware that it was just a dream, as Melinda lay asleep beside him after talking into the night, exchanging a myriad of kisses and exposing the secrets of their hearts. Everything was going to be ok and it was just a dream but there was something that he couldn't shake, but what was it going to be?


	2. The medical marvel and investigations

**The medical marvel, investigations and the new scratches**

May stirred at just before 5 am ready to do her morning ritual and be in the gym in ten minutes but she felt the bed beside her and it was stone cold so she knew that Phil had been up a while.

She put on her sports top and bottoms and started to move towards the door, she saw Phil standing at the window of his office staring into the abyss, he was stood still as a statue and could barely be seen breathing. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, this was new in itself as it was only at the beginning of this week that they had declared feelings for each other and May had been the happiest ever since.

She knew that Phil had sleeping problems ever since Loki had stabbed him, coming back from the dead tends to do that to people, but what she didn't know was the dreams or nightmares that had been plaguing him recently.

"Hey Phil, you ok?" she tentatively asked as she could tell that he was not himself, he looked around and she could see that he looked older and sleep depravation was taking its toll on him but she didn't know why.

"I am fine Melinda, just a bit tired. I might try and have a nap later. You go and do your tai chi, I'll be fine." He turned around looked into eyes and for a moment the old Phil looked to be there and he pecked her lips and held her close like she was the only lifeline that he had and for some reason she felt exactly that, but why?

She watched him go into the room and begin putting his suit on, she looked around the office and something felt wrong and even though she knew that Phil was in the other room she felt like she wasn't alone. A rush of wind swished past her hair blowing it to the right and swung round yet there was nothing there, she would swear that something had touched her AFTER Phil had gone into the other room. She decided to do her tai chi but was definitely going to look into this, something was definitely off with him and if something was off with him then something was off with her.

Phil was in the other room about to do a Windsor knot in his tie when something whispered in his ear, "Can you hear me? I know you're there?"

He whipped around but saw nothing, he thought he was going mad but he would have sworn that he had heard something. Pulling down his shirt collar and about to put on his jacket, he saw his face in the mirror and scratches had appeared on his neck, he knew for a fact that it wasn't May. Had they had done nothing apart from kiss? They had agreed to take it slow, or more like he had decided, as he wanted to treat her like the queen she was to him but where had these scratches come from?

May went to see Simmons because she knew she was the one who had done Coulson's last physical, so the information that she needed first would come from her. She strode into the lab and Fitzsimmons stopped what they were doing and looked at her, "Hey May is something wrong? You feeling unwell? Your physical is not for another month."

"I am here to talk about Coulson and what we say had better not leave this room. He has not been himself lately, spacing out, not sleeping and he thinks that I can't see them, but marks have started appearing on him, and no, before you ask, I didn't cause them." She could the smirk on Fitzsimmon's faces and new that it was X-rated material they were thinking but this was serious. " How was his last physical? Did everything come back clear?"

"May, we cannot tell you that. You know its-"

"Look Jemma, I know that it is confidential and I would not normally ask if it was not important. If I really wanted to I could get Skye to hack the system and find out what I want to know, but I have respect for you and asking you, as a colleague and more importantly a friend. Please help me."

Jemma knew that something must be seriously concerning May for one she was willing to get Skye to hack but more importantly that last part of the sentence sounded like a prayer and a plea all rolled up into one, so she too was concerned. "Give me a moment and I will get his file."

Jemma came back about five minutes later with a file thicker than a phone book slammed it on the table and opened it up at the back, "Well as far as I can see, his BMI was normal, heart rate a little elevated but nothing serious, apart from …What the…? That was not there before and should not be there…."

"What? What is it? Please tell me, Jemma."

"There is a shadow and scar but nothing in his records state what its there for and how it took place, this is an unregistered operation. I need to do a physical on him again and be thorough about…"

"No Jemma, you are going to have be discreet about because if Phil suspects anything then he will retreat into his shell or make up some excuse not to have it done. Just make something up but make it believable, cause we all know how bad you are at lying." May smiled at her cause everyone knew that Jemma blushed when she lied and mumbled, so if she tried anything on an experienced Agent like Philip Coulson, he would smell it before she entered the room.

May left the lab and went to see what Phil was doing, she stepped into the office but it was pitch black all the curtains were shut and lights were off, she silently moved through the room like she had done a thousand times before and approached the bedroom.

She saw him laid on the bed in the same suit that he had dressed in that morning but he was tossing and turning, sweat scattered across his brow and he started moaning, "Noooo, please don't I'm begging you, it hurts noooo, just leave it. I'll do anything…"

May heart clenched, she ran over to the bed and placed Phil's head in her lap,

"Phil, honey please listen to my voice, I am hear for you, no one will hurt you, I promise. Baby, listen to me…"

The thrashing began to ease, the mumbling slowed and he began to come round to the land of the living, "May, when did you get here?" He was looking at like her like nothing had happened and that was concerning May, all the more.

She leant down to give him a kiss and found herself on her back staring into the most beautiful eyes that pierced her soul and rocked her world. "What's this for?" she queried, "Not that I am complaining, but you-"

He slanted his head and kissed her like his life depended on it, there was desperation in this kiss it was not a passionate kiss but more a confirmation that what he was feeling was real and not part of the nightmare that she had caught him in.

May took control of the kiss and her tongue slithered into his mouth and slowly turned it into the loving kiss that it should have been.

Finally it came to an end and when she looked into his eyes they were of the Philip Coulson that she knew and loved. She knew he was back but the problem was finding out what was wrong but that could wait, she was going to make sure he actually received some sleep, which she was sure his body craved and needed.

"Let me take of my jacket and we will have a nap, I could do with one and you're going to have one whether you like it or not." She smirked at him and he knew not to argue. She laid down on her back and his head settled on her heart and the steady beating lulling him to sleep into a land where he knew nothing but happiness. May laid on her back staring at the ceiling wondering what the hell is going and praying that Jemma would be able to find the answers that they so desperately needed.


	3. Fight what you cannot see

**Fight what you cannot see **

May was laid on her back, Phil had dropped off, almost immediately but May could not switch her brain off, she tried but she's almost glad that she didn't as she saw something occur. She looked down at Phil and saw that he was glowing, emanating a green and blue aura but still he slept soundly without a care in the world but May just kept watching as objects began to float, suspended in mid air around them.

May was frozen for once in her life she couldn't see what was causing the glow, the floating nor the cracks that had appeared in the wall but you can bet your ass she was going to find but first she needed to help get Phil under control.

"_No one is going to save you May, Phil will be ours and we are going to take you down."_

"_No one is going to save you!"_

"_No one is going to save you!"_

A manic laugh surrounded the room, crashing off the walls like a tidal wave and deafening as it rose to a crescendo and then there was nothing; not a sound nor a murmur until, "Hey Melinda, did you sleep well?"

Phil was looking at May concern etched on his face, he looked refreshed but confused as he could not explain the gashes that were now on his chest, bleeding profusely causing May to jump off the bed and run to the bathroom. On her way back she hit the button, "Simmons get your ass up here right this second and do not stop for anyone unless it is to drag them up here with you. Got it?"

Before Simmons had chance to respond she cut the feed and rush back to Phil, he was going paler by the second but all he could do was sit there and watch May work.

Simmons burst through the door with the entire team behind her and they all came to a screeching halt in the doorway when they saw the scene before them that was nothing short of a horror movie.

None of the team moved too stunned to do anything until they heard a very scared but determined Melinda May, "Don't just stand there, you're no god damn use to me there, get me something to stop this bleeding or at least slow it down." She looked at the younger members of the team, "Please help me, I can't lose him…!" The last part came out in a whisper that would not have been heard if they were not standing so close, she looked crest fallen and like her whole world was falling apart beneath her feet and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

"Right May, I'm going to need you to get out of my way, please." A determined biology specialist genius, that is Jemma Simmons, strode towards the bed whilst Skye did something wholly out of character and hugged May, she froze at first but after knowing they were not judging her gladly accepted the shoulder to lean on none the less.

Jemma quickly got to work on an unconscious Phil Coulson, she jabbed two needles into his chest, "One is an Anti-coagulant and one is a beta-blocker, I need to slow his heart rate down so that there is not as much blood being pumped around his body, hopefully then the gashes will stop pouring blood. Then I am going to move him down to the lab where I will be drawing blood for testing, X-rays, CT scan the whole works. Something is causing this and I will be damned if he is going to die on this Bus."

Ward and Fitz had brought a stretcher to take him down, they were going to do it, he is a father figure, friend and boss who deserved the tender treatment they would provide him.

May looked at Simmons and said, "We need to look into GH325 as well, I don't care what Coulson barred you from in the absence of his leadership, I am the next in line so when he comes around he can deal with me. There is something on this Bus that is uninvited and attacking Phil's mind, I watched something enter the room and start whispering to us, if I had not seen it with my own eyes I would have called someone a liar. It said repeatedly 'No one is going to save you' referring to both Phil and I and I watched him all night and made sure that nothing touched but he woke and out of nowhere those gashes appeared on his chest and pandemonium broke lose. We NEED to find the cause I am going to tear it a new one."

"Let me stabilise Agent Coulson and then we can look into other matters, as it looks like something that it attacking everything that is Phil…."

"He glowed green and blue!"

"What?"

"I said Jemma, that he glowed green and blue in the night, I watched something attempt to enter but when it realised he was not alone he returned to his normal colour." May was going deathly pale and did not look healthy at all, the knowledge that Phil was fighting for his life had hit home and now she was ready to drop to her knees but that would not do. She couldn't help or defend Phil if she was weak or unconscious.

She stormed out of the office, "Skye, with me and I mean now." Skye got up and raced after May, "Oh and don't hug me like that again."

Skye knew that May was just lashing out, which Skye felt was better then her holding it in, they would no doubt talk later, but for now she would rather her do something that closed herself away from the rest of the group.

"Skye I need you to go through the entire schematics of this Bus with Fitz, he is the technological engineer so he would know most of the plane, I don't want a single cushion left unturned and then tell me everything that doesn't belong on this plane or is any way out of place. I intend to be gearing up for a fight cause something is leaving this Bus whether it lives or dies is entirely up to whatever is, but I will kick its ass."

May made her way down to where Phil was. A blood pack strapped up and slowing dripping into his system so that he remained fully loaded but the gashes had still not fully clotted up. He was still asleep but his heart rate had slowed down which was miles better then when they had been found.

"_We are going to take him."_

She looked around, the room going dark and background noise seemed to fade until it seemed to have been muted completely. That was until she heard the disembodied voices goad her again.

"_We are going to take him."_

"Like hell you are …" To no one in particular, "I swear, I will find you, I will hunt you down and you will release whatever hold you have on Philip Coulson or my hand will get very acquainted with your face!"

"_We are going to take him."_

She felt rather then saw the crack appear on the glass of the room, whipping round eyes full of rage, "GET OUT! GET THE FUCK OUT!"

The room suddenly went clear, the darkness dispersed and the beeping of the machines returned, "Oh Phil, I will find out what this is and what they've done to you, I promise." She stroked his hair, pecked his lips and strode out of the room like a woman intent on raising hell.


	4. The World is splitting in two

**The World is splitting in two and damn it hurts.**

May strode into the lab where a whirlwind called Jemma Simmons was hard at work with about twelve different tests on the go, she stopped and looked at May, "Please tell me you have some idea what we are dealing with?"

"I am afraid I don't Jemma, I have only just found out about this in the last two days and it was only because I know something was out of character with Phil. There have been voices, hallucinations…"

"Wait, wait, I have found something but I will need to do a further test to be sure because if I am right, we have a cosmic problem of an enormous proportion."

Everyone waited, standing behind May the force that held the team as one, they all knew she was more then just a pilot but until now they had not witnessed anything remotely different, until Phil Coulson been theoretically taken down, she does not normally show weakness but right now she didn't care.

"Oh my word, I expected something but no way did I expect something along these lines. Phil Coulson's blood is evolving with the help of the GH325, the alien serum is now attempting to turn him into something else that would explain the blue/green aura but cannot explain the scratches or markings on him. The problem is that I don't know how to stop it as there are no details on this type of scientific experiment and if S.H.I.E.L.D did do something like this then there is no way that I have the clearance to…"

"You might not have, but Jemma, who needs clearance when you got the best hacker on the planet to do it for you…?" Skye smirked hopped up on the table and produce her laptop, clicking away. "Guys, I have to go to the top on this so it might be a bit of time, I'll let you know when I'm done trust me I will be fast."

Suddenly the light flickered and the world went black and out of nowhere the entire support system of the Bus descended into darkness but the most heart stopping factor was the Buses engines had shut down. The Bus began to plummet to the Earth like a stone in the sea but there was nothing to support or protect their fall and death was imminent, May raced to Phil knowing that flying the Bus was useless as she had no propulsion and this was all centered around Phil, and pleading with something might be the only way to save them.

She tripped on the steps and rolled to the bottom, she felt a crack as her chest hit the steps she knew she had broken a few ribs but there was something far more important to deal with right now, she got up wrapped her arm around her ribs and ran like her life depended on it, which in this case it did.

Skye, Fitz and Jemma knew that there was nothing that they could do but pray that May made in time and Phil literally was the one who could save them or else they would all die and Phil would know nothing of GH325 or anything else that had been affecting his body.

"Jemma, should I not get the chance to survive, please remember that I do love you I just never had the courage to say so, but I would rather you know then die never taking the opportunity to tell you." He pecked her on the lips and they all continued to huddle together, one family at the beginning and one family come what may.

May skidded into the room where Phil still lay, emanating an unearthly aura as the glass cracked around them, he was literally tearing the place apart and there was nothing that anyone could do to stop him as he had no conscious thought of what he was doing, just the alien origin and serum that was doing ungodly things to him against his will and putting everyone else in danger.

She huddled by his side in extraordinary pain and gasping for the air to enter her lungs and allow her to speak, "Phil please…"

Not even a twitch of recognition fluttered across Phil Coulson's serene face, May knew that she was going to try a little harder then that for HIS conscious to be able to fight through at all ESPECIALLY against an unknown and invariably tested GH325.

"Phil, please remember when I first told you I loved you? We had just come back off the train heist and I had seen you frozen by Quinn, I thought you had died and the thought of never telling you broke my heart. I knew that even if you didn't love me now, it would still be a good time as any, but I chickened out I did it whilst you were frozen on the ground with Ward and I thought that you hadn't heard me, but you had. When we got back into your office you closed the door placed your hands round the back of my neck and kissed me in such a heart racing way, that I can still feel it now and it still makes me smile but in order for us to help you, and do any of that again, I need you to stop what you're doing or else we will die."

She bent down to his ear and tenderly whisper to the point that it was barely heard as she tried her hardest to ignore the pain in her chest, "Please baby, how can I even think of marrying you if we do not speak ever again?" She paused. "Come home baby, come back to me and I'll protect you."

As though Odin himself had heard her plea, the aura slowly began to dissipate, the lights returned and the Bus roared to life as the engines kicked in, May realised what had happened lifted her head off his chest, planted a soul searing kiss across his heart and raced to the cockpit to get their Bus under control.

May bombed into the seat and grabbed hold of the yoke and pulled back until she thought that it would break off in her hands but with nothing short of 50 feet to go, the Bus righted itself and May had control, there was a river of sweat running down her back and she thought that her heart might just give way but the Bus was up in the air and everyone on it was safe. She slammed the autopilot on ensuring that the bus would not fall when she left the cockpit and made her way back down to Phil, when she turned the corner she nearly collided into Phil Coulson, his eyes wide open.

Over in another part of the bus, the three cuddling young ones released each other and simply stood there, still in shock.

The anxiety level increased when everyone on the Bus all heard the exact same words.

"I think we need to talk, right now…."


	5. A strategy, a plan and sweet kisses

**A strategy, a plan and sweet kisses **

"Phil, do you remem-"

"I heard every word that you said but could not fight against the GH325 serum, it's mutating and I am getting weaker each time something happens to me…but that still does not negate the fact that you said that you were thinking of marrying me…Did you mean it?"

He looked worn, weary and downtrodden as the more this alien serum took hold of him, he looked years older but to her he still looked handsome and down right sexy.

She stood there in the doorway inspecting him, she walked over and guided him back to the bed and after he got in she noticed there were no marks on him. She rubbed her hands up and down the hair on his chest, inspecting every square inch to ensure that the others were healing but no new marks had appeared since she last saw him and they finished over his head, she felt the gentle thud of the heart that beat only for her and she smiled, "We will sort this I promise you."

She was just about to leave when her wrist was pulled her down to his face, "When we get out through this, I am going take you away and treat you like the angel you are. You're always there for me and I don't tell you often enough how much I love you or how much you mean to me."

May's eyes began to fill knowing how close she was to losing Phil, but fighting what she cannot see, she needed a game plan and quick, in the middle of her reverie his hand yanked her down and he stole a heart beating, blood roaring kiss, his tongue roamed into her mouth and danced an arousing dance with hers until the lack of oxygen became too much.

"Well if that is what I get for saving the Bus, I can't wait to see what I get for saving you." She pecked his lips, tapped his heart and sauntered out of the room.

Jemma and Fitz agreed for the talk later as they did not want Skye to be uncomfortable but also wanted the privacy to talk it through as long as they needed. They were all hard at work and all did a complete one eighty, as though their eureka moments all appeared at the same time.

"I know what the problem is, it's in his blood, the GH325 has been enhanced by some unknown origin it was once used to save Coulson's life, now it has been used to change it and remove Coulson leaving a shell for some other entity to fill. If this is something that Hydra is now doing then, oh my god, it is more advanced then anything either Fitz or I have ever seen, what are we going to do?"

"Well you need to find something to counter act what ever they have put in him and I think I know the source of the GH325 file. Ta da! Do you think this will help you create a counter to deal with whatever is in his blood? Maybe Fitz can create some little robot like Sneezy to be able to do the job for you?" Skye looked at Fitz ever so hopeful yet wholly inadequate as her area of expertise was computers, not the science these guys dealt with, and her IQ was surely mediocre in comparison to theirs but she would do her best to help.

" Well now, we know that it's something in his blood that has been altered, then maybe we can do something about it. I will have a look at the mechanical engineering side and you and Jemma can look at the biological side of things and maybe we can come up with a battle plan that would impress May."

"Speaking of May, I am going to go and see how she is." Skye left the others as she knew that they wanted to talk, it was written all over their face that there was something that needed to be said.

"Fitz we need to focus on what is attempting to kill Agent Coulson and this-" Jemma never got to finish her sentence as she was backed up to the holotable, Fitz looked into her eyes.

"I need to do this…" He gently pecked her lips, nibble at her bottom lip until he finally felt her responding, she slid her arms around his neck and flex her fingers through his soft blond hair. They stayed that way for several minutes enjoying the feel of each other and knowing the best was yet to come, Jemma was elated that he had not forced his tongue in her for that was major turn off for her but he was a perfect gentleman, Now we can talk later..." He just looked at Jemma she had the sweetest blush on her cheeks and her hair a little mussed but to him she was the perfect English rose.

Skye had found May in the gym but weirdly her eyes were closed, she walked up behind her but before she could even touch her shoulder, she found herself with her back against the wall and firm throat crushing grip on her neck which only continued to tighten.

Gasping for air and grabbing Mays arm, "Hey **gasp** May, please it's me **gasp** it's Skye."

May's eyes shot open and she saw what was in front of her and released her hand immediately, Skye dropped to the floor like a lead weight as she coughed and gasped for air.

May looked mortified and crouched down immediately to check that she hadn't done any damage to Skye, "Skye! I am so sorry, are you ok?"

"What the hell was that! You nearly finished me off and I am not even 30!" Skye stepped back looking very wary and making sure that nothing else would happen to her.

"I was practicing and enhancing my senses so I could fight blind." May looked at Skye as though this was something that everyone did and carried on, "Whatever this is, has been attacking him in his sleep or in the dark, so he can't fight back. I need to take away my sight to enhance the rest of my senses but whilst I was practicing, you touched my shoulder and I thought it was something else so I grabbed your throat. Luckily you shouted when you did cause I was intent on extracting information and ripping your throat out…I'm sorry." May did have the decency to look sheepish at that but got the medical kit to check Skye over anyway.

"We need to go down to the lab, it seems that we all have ideas and need to formulate a plan but please May, for a while can you walk around with your eyes open? My throat would greatly appreciate it." She smiled a tender and understanding smile at May, she knew the amount of pressure she was under as leader but also from her reputation and wanted to help May as much as she could.

She tucked her arm in May's and began to walk. May stiffened at first but she knew what Skye was doing and walked with her, "Skye, this doesn't mean that if you creep up on me again that the same won't happen."

"I know but I just wanted to say I understand and I will not make the same mistake again."


	6. Eureka

**Chapter 6 - Eureka Moments**

They strode to the lab, where they saw Fitzsimmons in an embrace but pull apart just before the doors open, both May and Skye acted as if they had seen nothing, as they did not want to ruin anything that had yet to be discussed.

"So guys, what do we all have?"

Fitzsimmons looked at each other sheepish but blushing from their new found closeness, "Well, I have found that it's the GH325 in Agent Coulson's blood, it has been genetically altered to attack the cells that make Coulson human and in doing so, eradicate him completely to leave a his body as a host shell. I'm thinking that once they do this, it can be replaced with someone who looks like him but is not actually him and therefore controlling a high level S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, with access to a lot of highly classified information."

"Like a pod-person? But how's it being done? We've not found any puncture marks or anything, before I noticed him, he was clean." May look confounded, she did not know how anything could be happening to him and he not tell her about it 'What in Odin's name was he playing at?',

Everyone could hear the cogs turning but coming up with nothing. "After here, I'm off to have a word with Phil and believe me, GH325 or no GH325, I'll be back with answers. Now what else?"

"Well, Skye has found the files for the GH325 in the S.H.I.E.L.D. database which will allow me to look at how its made, I might be able to modify the GH325 back to its 'original state', then maybe I could inject it into Coulson to do the same but…"

"But what?" May asked knowing she won't like what she was going to hear next.

"Well since I wasn't the original creator of the GH325, I can't say for certain if that's the whole of the formula, and if I make it and inject Coulson, there's a chance that it can react with whatever is already in his blood stream and could kill him." Jemma was inspecting the floor after she had finished and had found a speck of dust to be strikingly interesting. She couldn't for the life of her look May in the eye for fear of what she might see.

"What else?" May's voice had took on an icy tone that had left no room for error and a tone known to others to mean business, no laughing, no joking and no smart-ass comments, just business.

"I could create little nanobot version of my D.W.A.R.F.s like Sneezy and Dopey to target the problem cells, but more importantly, I might be able to modify the frequencies. So, with a bit of luck, we can see and here whatever is trying to get to Coulson…and by luck, I mean unappreciated genius-" Fitz was in the middle of his speech when he was interrupted.

"WAIT! WAIT!" Everyone whipped their heads around and looked at Skye, "We have a slight problem that I need to tell you about. The GH325 was not actually a serum that was created, it was altered alien blood, but the alien was never given a name, just a alphanumeric number GH325 which was more to do with the number sciencey bits in the gene…"

"Molecules, DNA, Mitochondria?"

"Exactly Jemma, but more importantly it had healing qualities not harming ones, or so they thought, but they never got to create any serums or vaccines as the alien body was destroyed and S.H.I.E.L.D. attempted to destroy all files in relation to it as they wouldn't want S.H.I.E.L.D. or anyone else see that they were performing these experiments on other species, let alone, an alien species and more importantly, their own agents. They never counted on someone like me being able to hack their system…not bad for someone who only won the laptop in a bet…" Skye looked very proud of herself.

"So we are going to have S.H.I.E.L.D. interfering and wanting to keep this quiet even though it is their experiment, which had been the cause of this problem? They won't help and will try to block any communications that we make. You said something about helping me see them?" May was just about to continue when Skye interrupted.

"Don't frickin need to, she nearly broke my neck and she had her eyes closed at that…"

"Something you would like to say Skye?" May had her eyebrow raised daring the younger Agent to challenge her.

"Nah, I am good. I was just commending your grip on things, including my neck." Skye looked sweetly at her, although May was going to make her pay for the comments later.

"Right Simmons, start looking at the S.H.I.E.L.D. files and molecular structure of the GH325, see what it is that we'll need to target or alter and get working on a way to inject it into him, or using some for of technology to target the cells. Fitz help me see and target those little bastards, I'll show them it was a bad idea to enter MY bus and attack MY family, I am off to have a word with Phil." She was just about to walk out of the room when she turned and said, "By the way, I am happy for you love birds." the doors closed behind her and she left with her trademark small smirk dancing across her lips.

They both turned on Skye, "Hey, before either of you say anything, I did nothing we saw you cuddling on our way back to talk to you, so you can get that look of your face." Skye said defensively.

May strode towards the medical room where Phil was she knew it was nearing nightfall and the same strange possession would be happening once he lowered his guard and fell asleep. He knew this was the case so he tried desperately to stay awake for fear that if he did he would not wake up and this other entity would run riot.

When she entered the room his eyes lit up and she saw them travel the length of her body and she was certain they were imagining things that he was in no fit state for, "Down boy, this is business not pleasure."

"You sure we can't have both Melindaaaaaa?" He drew out her name but it still sounded like honey running of his tongue and sure enough her imagined what else would run off his tongue.

"Stay with me Phil, now when did you start getting those marks?"

"Eh?"

"I said, when did you start getting the marks on your body, like the slashes on your chest?"

"Oh, for a few weeks, but I just thought that I was being clumsy. It was after we went on the mission in the Amazonian jungle. We had to apprehend that fugitive. I thought that I had just caught myself on a branch but then the voices started."

"DAMN IT, PHIL! YOU MEAN THINGS LIKE THIS HAVE BEEN HAPPENING ALL THIS TIME AND YOU DIDN'T THINK TO TELL ME?"

May had set off in an absolute rage at Phil's idiocy and stupidity for not telling her. She was in mid pace when a hand wrapped around her wrist yanked her to the side as she splayed across Phil Coulson's waist. He grabbed hold of her hair pulled her up and smashed his lips against hers.

It was hot, heavy, sexy and down right filthy as his tongue waltzed into her mouth. She released the filthiest moan from her throat the that she had ever heard and the thought of him pulling her hair in a more intimate setting was turning on her to the point of no return.

She yanked her head back, "Wow, just-" She did not get a chance to finish before he was diving in for a second go. His hands were roaming her body and grabbed her ass whilst his tongue was still mating with hers.

After a while she pulled back and looked at Phil, "Seemed like a good way to shut you and stop you shouting at me."

"Phil you idiot, if you don't tell me things like that then next time it might be too late and I can't save you." Her gaze softened as she managed to get some oxygen back into her body. "It seems someone has released a sentient being onto the Bus, which is trying to take us out and the your GH325 has been manipulated to destroy you but leave your body. If you leave details like *that* out, how the hell can I save my future husband…?"

Her eyes widened in shock at what she had just let slip as freely as water through open fingers, "Err, what I meant to say was-"

Phil didn't give her a chance to complete the sentence before he was on her again attempting to devour her body and soul. The things that the man could do with his mouth should be made illegal in all states which had May making most luscious sounds to grace Phil's ears.

"Now THAT'S something we are going to talk about ASAP, go get them my beautiful warrior…"

May looked at him not knowing if she had just dropped herself in it, but will now have to wait and find out as darkness approached.


	7. unexpected fight and preparations

**Chapter 7 - unexpected fight, preparation and marital thoughts**

May was walking back down to the lab, previous events warring in her mind, mentally berating herself for making an idiot of herself in front of him. How could she even think that he would want to marry her? To marry someone so broken and messed up as her?

To the world May was a walking warrior, a machine not to be messed with but no one took the time to see that she had feelings too and just because they were not on display for the world to see, doesn't mean she didn't feel them.

May knew the risk that they were taking but she could at least narrow it down to things that had been stored in or near the Amazonian base, making it easier to look at the records for the GH325. She has no doubt that Skye would find something but whether she would like what had found is a different matter, it was either do that, or watch him be tortured every night. She was just at the doors of the lab when the bus began to shake, it was in mid air and she knew for certain that there was nothing wrong with the Bus she lifted her arm to look at the time and realised that night had fallen and whatever the entity was, had arrived.

She ran into the lab, "Everyone get down, NOW!" May checked that the others had ducked under the holotable, safe from what she knew was coming.

_**You think you can save him? Phil Coulson GH325 is ours.**_

"Over my dead body!"

_**You think you can save him? Phil Coulson GH325 is ours.**_

May didn't close her eyes in time and found herself suspended by something that she couldn't see. The air was being ripped from her lungs, but no matter what she did her limbs hit mid air and nothing else.

_**You think you can save him? Phil Coulson GH325 is ours.**_

May closed her eyes and calmed her wildly beating heart, but before she could do anything she heard, "Ok Sneezy, go do your thing, or what I hope will be your thing…"

She saw a bright bolt go past and suspend in animation, a bolt of electricity shot out from the Sneezy and a high-pitched scream could be heard. May dropped to the floor covered in singes across her hair as they could not prevent it from hitting her head, she had an open gash across her cheek but she could breath again, the bus righted itself and all seem to be well again but they couldn't be sure where it was.

"What the hell was that?" May asked.

"Well I had Sneezy emit a high voltage spark in hope that it would hit whatever it was that had a hold of you, but I didn't anticipate it being carried through what was around your neck and…"

Fitz stopped mid sentence and started to run towards the Holotable immediately it whirled to life and he brought an array of 3D images for him to study, "Fitz? What's wrong?" Jemma looked concerned at how quiet he had become and he was not speaking. After about 10 minutes he turned around and with the excitement of a little boy said, "I think I know how to stop it…"

"Well are you going to tell us or am I going to die in anticipation or is that thing going to come back for another go." May was beginning to run out of patience and oxygen if that thing gets hold of her again.

"We need to emit a high frequency light beam which should at least give you a shadow or shape of what you are going up against and use a thin bolt of electricity to stun it. I can tell you now, that it would only be temporary, but I saw the way that it ran when I used Sneezy, so maybe we can use a more advanced and streamlined version." Fitz looked awfully proud of himself.

"How far are we with GH325 serum?"

"I need a couple of more hours to study the charts and begin to make the serum we'll be placing the nanobots in. Yes, I know before you say anything we are on a timescale and I am going as fast as I can but I refuse to rush science, especially when there is a possibility of poisoning or killing Agent Coulson, so we need to find me a few hours." Jemma was breathing quickly after her verbal tirade, scared of what May would say but knowing she was right she stood her ground against the formidable woman.

"Ok, call me when it is ready, I'll be training outside Phil's room, cause I need to be ready when I go face to face with this thing. It would have beaten me earlier, I was unprepared and I refuse to let that happen again."

"May, I really need to look at your cuts." Jemma was just about to get her medical kit out from a cupboard, but was cut by May's witty response, "I've had bigger cuts when shaving." They watched as May walked out of the lab and towards her charge, they all looked at each other in awe of the older but definitely scarier woman.

May had reached Phil's room and saw that he was asleep, so she took off her jacket, ready to start her martial arts. She was using a variety of weaponry in readiness for her fight as well as her bare hands, she was a warrior in mind, body, soul and heart so trained to protect her loved ones. Her team were now undeniably her family. Tonight that is exactly what she was going to do and she'd ensure that her Bus and its occupants were safe once more.

What she didn't know as that Phil had woken up and he was watching her with a mixture of lust and adoration in his eyes, he was watching the muscles flex and her body move with the imaginary forces gliding around her and bowing to her every whim.

He was thinking about what she had said earlier, 'Did she mean it? Would she really want to be his wife?'

It would make him the happiest man on earth to be able to call her his wife, he was imagining her in a white dress that would fit to the shape her body and flow down to her feet, imagine saying 'I do.' calling her Mrs Coulson and then taking her to the their suite and worshipping her like the goddess she is. He was in the middle of his thoughts when he heard.

"Ah, you're awake? How are you feeling?" May had taken a break and saw that he was waking up, she had gotten him something to eat and drink but could only wonder why he looked sheepish, she could make a fair assumption, he was probably laughing at her for her stupid slip up.

Little did she know it was so far from the truth, she couldn't even see it. When she looked back him, he hide the loving and adoring look on his face, for fear it would make her uncomfortable.

"Where are you going, Melinda?"

"I am going to prepare, Phil."

"Prepare for what?"

"Prepare to kick some ass. No one gets on MY Bus uninvited and thinks they can stay."

With that she went back to training leave a very amused Phil Coulson staring at her behind, he knew he would call her out on her slip up, but now was not the time. It would be soon, of that he was certain.


	8. The prep, the test and the near slip

**Chapter 8**

May was outside the medical room training, eyes closed a look of what was misconceived inner peace on her face but if people paid close attention they would see the look of a trained warrior ready to strike when the mood took her. Half way through her training she heard a tap on the window and saw who had gotten out of bed, she quickly moved through the room and slipped her arms under him and walked him back to the bed.

"You a freaking idiot? You have communications system of the highest technology and you decide to try and get out of bed when you're weak. I should kick your ass but it would not be as fun cause your funny and weak…"

"Finished Melinda?"

"No, not quite, but I have a feeling that you get the picture."

He sat there just looking at her, sweat glistened her body, hair sticking out in a disarray from the intense work out she puts herself through. Her body is toned from years if practice, she is a sleek fighting machine but right at this minute he just wants to grab her throw her down and follow the sweat droplets with his tongue.

"Earth to Phil…You listening to me?"

"I heard every word, Melinda."

She stood hands on her hips with a look her face telling him that he was close to crossing a line and she was close to punching him in the face, he knows that she does not like being called that but he cant help thinking she is sexy standing like that and wishes he had more energy then what he has now.

"Now listen to me, there is something we need to talk about, something that I had not told you yet cause I wanted to see if there was another way of doing this but according to Fitzsimmons there is not."

Phil just continued to look at her with an implicate trust that had been formed from years and years of missions and friendship, he didn't move nor speak just allowed her to finish what she had to say because he knew it was hard enough for her without interruptions. What concerned him more was how hard it was for her to say it, he had never seen her like before…well apart from when he died.

"Phil if we inject you with an altered version of the GH325 it might react with what you already have in your system and… and…" She stopped what she was saying and turned away from him, she couldn't finish the sentence, she couldn't form the words as it would break her heart in two. The thought of going through what she went through after New York would tear her apart.

"And what, May?" He placed his hands on her shoulders and forced her to turn around and look at him, her eyes had welled up and no matter how hard she tried to fight it a tear broke free and ran the length of her face only to be caught by Phil's hand. "Melinda please, whatever it is, we will do this together, I promise you I —"

"YOU COULD DIE! YOU HAPPY NOW? I'VE SAID IT, YOU COULD DIE, AND I WOULD NEVER GET THE CHANCE TO SAY I LO-" She stopped mid sentence, her hand clamped over her mouth refusing to let anymore words escape for fear that she would say something else.

He grabbed her hands and prised them away from her beautiful tear streaked face, he cupped her face and leant down to capture her lips pouring all the love and devotion that he could into this kiss. He was intending to make her understand with words or actions that he was undeniably and most definitely in love with this woman, he ripped a moan from her throat and played her body like a strata Varian violin. He tilted her head taking control of the kiss and he could say with a shadow of a doubt, that he could gladly die a happy man right at this moment in time. He felt her tongue nudging at his lips which he opened without hesitation and let her mate with his own a dance that he intended to do with her once all this was over. His tongue wrapped around hers, massaging and feeling every crevice making sure she could feel all his love for her from the bottom of his heart.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close letting the kiss come to a natural ending, he held her close looking into her eyes and say with at much love as he could muster, "Melinda May, listen to me loud and clear, I love you with every fibre of my being. I love you so much. We need to do this, I cannot allow them to attack the Bus, or the people that I care about but rest assured, I intend to make it through this and I will come back and will sort this out with you."

She stood there looking at him, she knew that he was right but the thought of losing him was too much to bear, but knew he couldn't live with himself knowing that the others were in danger.

"I'll head to the lab and see how they are getting on with things." She pulled him in for another soul searing kiss but this was tinged with desperation and a promise that things would be alright.

She entered the lab, "How's things?"

"Well we need a test subject to see if this will enter the system and deliver where it is suppose to. It's minute and he will barely feel anything when it has left the syringe. We have also attached a tracker to the nanobots so I can see where it is going." Simmons held up the syringe and waited to see what would happen next.

Melinda pulled up off her jacket and hopped up on the table, "Go on then, inject away."

"I have not even told you what's in it."

"Look Simmons, I know that you are not going to poisoning me as I am the only one who can protect you and if you want to die then please by all means poison me." May looked at Simmons daring them to do it and watched as the syringe emptied into her arm and waited to see what would happen.

The silence that was in the room is palpable waiting to see what would happen to May and fearing that she would drop and there is nothing that they could do.

"Eh May, can I just check your vitals?"

May look at Jemma and nodded her head.

"Heart rate normal, blood level normal, ECG all normal. Fitz can you tell me what is happening with Tiny?"

May raised her eyebrows looking at them, "Tiny is the name of the little guy we injected in you. By the way I can tell he is sat patiently waiting near your lung but has delivered the oxygen that it had placed inside his capsule."

"Right now you know the nanobots work, please tell me you have something that can see this entity?"

"Smile, May." All of a sudden there was a gigantic flash and a spark of light, May looked at Fitz like she was going to throw him off the Bus, Fitz moved back slowly like you would with a snarling dog but right now he would deal with the dog.

"Eh, I have just shown you the flash would disorientate and the electricity would stun for a few seconds in that time you need to do something when you open your eyes or it is going to rip your head off."

May jumped down and put on her jacket, "It will be lucky." She threw the knife which cut the end of Jemma's pony tail and ended in the frame at the side of Fitz's head, all he did was gulp as he knew what was to come in their future.


	9. The preparation, fight and the wait

**Chapter 9 - The preparation, fight and the waiting game.**

Skye was pacing up and down, she felt utterly useless now that she had hacked the files and gave them to Fitzsimmons. She felt like this sometimes, as her skill was hacking and not much else. Fitzsimmons were the science genius and May was the muscle especially since there was no Ward anymore but Skye felt like a spare part with nothing to do but watch the scene play.

She was walking about with a long face and walked square into the back of May, "Hmmmpppphhh."

"You ok, Skye? You were in a world of you own there and almost knocked me to the floor." May looked at Skye concern written all over her face, "Come on, you can talk to me." May looked at Skye with a clear indication that she was not going to let this rest.

"I don't feel like I am helping, I feel like a let down, a spare, a nobody if you-"

"Now let me stop you right there, missus. You are not and never will be a spare part, you are an integral part of team, warranted when you first started I thought you were an annoying, law breaking, little shit…"

Skye smirked knowing full well what she thought of her but she would not dare tell May that because she would most likely kill her.

"But now Skye, you're family, an individual who brings so much and has grown better then I could ever imagine. How would we have found out about the GH325 files that Shield were trying to hide, if you had not used your skill to get through a multi million dollar security system in mere hours with a laptop that you had won in a bet? Now think long and hard who could do that?"

Skye looked at May thoroughly in shock, she thought that May tolerated her but knows that yet again she was wrong and was going to prove that May's thoughts of her were right. Skye for the first time in her life was speechless and just did what she thought was natural and threw herself into a bone-crushing hug with May.

May stiffened in surprise, she was not use to the touchy feeling stuff like the rest of the team were, but knew how much it meant to Skye, she held the young woman and stroked her hair knowing that she understood how much she actually belonged here.

"Now, as much as we could sit here all day, the night is drawing in. We need to prepare for what is coming and help things down in the lab but we are far from finished in this conversation, ok?"

Skye looked at May with such adoration in her eyes, May now understood what it meant to be seen as a mother figure especially to someone who had never had a permanent mother figure in her life, she intended to make sure that was dealt with after they destroyed the unknown entity on their plane.

She set off down the gym, "Keep Phil awake at all costs, until I say otherwise, I am off to play."

"Play what?" Skye asked dreading the answer for the costs were immensely high and she wasn't ready to lose everyone.

"I am going to play a new game called 'Come onto my Bus uninvited and I am going to hand you your ass on a plate' it might need a bit of work on the title but you catch my drift. Tell Fitz to come down with the equipment we need, I am going to get my toys." May smirked, a chill went down Skye's spine as she now knew what hundreds of men who had faced May before her felt the fear that ran down your spine was something that would stick with you forever.

Skye ran down to the lab and shot through the doors, Fitz nearly dropped Sneezy and Dopey through fear and shock, Skye breathing deeply said , "Fitz, May says can you take the stuff down to the gym cause she is going to play a new game, and not before you ask, you do not want to know what the hell that means, just go down and take the stuff with you, please."

May was down on the training mats with her toys, Glock 190C, Icer, night night pistol and her favourite the Damour Sword which was sharp enough to remove anyone's head with a slice in the air the minute it came into contact with this things neck. She didn't want to kill it but if she had to, then its head would be on the end of this sword for sure.

Fitz came down with Sneezy and Dopey, ready to have them levitate whilst he went out of the room and she went to sleep hoping that it would come to her without the need for Coulson to enter the sleeping world.

She lay down with her eyes closed, regulating her breathing as she did with her tai chi and relaxed as she went to sleep. To everyone it looked as though she was a out cold but she knew something was happening when the darkness hit her, she leapt to her feet senses instantly alert it was like she never slept at all a coil ready to strike at all times and was ready to fight for her team and the man she loved.

"Let the games begin." She murmured.

Before she knew what had hit something kicked her square in the chest knocking the air out of lungs landing her straight on her back, "I swear, if this carries on, screw everything, I am putting its head on a stick."

She jumped back up landing on her feet with a practice ease of a skilled warrior; she struck the fighting stance and listened. At first not a sound could be heard, but then a rustle and a split second after she reacted she felt a fist in her face knocking her head back and blood spurted from her nose spraying the ground below, she was trying not to use Sneezy and Dopey just yet.

She wanted to try and wear this thing out before she got her hands on it but if it carried on like this, all bets were off.

"Fitz get ready, cause I am going to need that soon," She was just about to finish that sentence when a slice to the back of her leg dropping her down to one knee, "For fucks sake, that stung and more importantly you have ruined my favourite pair of pants."

"FITZ, NOW!" Like an omnipotent being had entered the room, Sneezy and Dopey lit up, like the fourth of July and May for the first time saw everything, a being that was 8 ft tall translucent with no face but looked like a wall of steel emanating a blue aura. May stood there in complete shock for she had only read about this thing in the redacted S.H.I.E.L.D. files.

"NOW FITZ, NOW!"

A bolt of energy that even Odin himself would have been proud to call his own, streaked across the room and hit the being square in the chest. It stumbled back and in a heart beat, May ran up the front of the being and wrapped herself round its back, wrapping her legs just underneath its ribs and squeezing every ounce of air that she could of its lungs.

She had her arms wrapped around its neck in a 'sleeper hold' she was trapping its juggler and attempting to stop the air from getting to the brain and hopefully putting it to sleep. In five extremely long seconds the thing drop to its knees but May didn't waver and ensured that all her limbs remained firmly locked and would not release until the being was face down in the mat.

May was getting tired, she could feel her body growing weary from the beating she had taken earlier and keeping all her limbs locked on this eight foot being wasn't helping, but she knew that she needed to pool her energy reserves for the sake of the team and Coulson.

Just before her feet could touch the floor she felt something grab her hair and throw her across the room, she scrambled to her hands and knees grabbed the I.C.E.R. gun, turned immediately and shot the being square in the face.

The head exploded and the alien substance sprayed across the room, on the walls, but to May's despair, in her hair. She looked at herself and saw the flesh hanging from her, "Fitz, go and put the shower on now, cause after I've seen Phil-"

Before she had a chance to finish , "MAY, GET UP HERE NOW, THIS FUCKING SECOND."

May's heart stopped in her throat knowing that her worst fear could possibly be coming true and that she would still lose the man that she loved.

She entered in the room faster than the speed of light and saw Phil on the bed, he had just been injected as they waited they saw that he had started to shake, he got up and staggered towards May, with the fear of life in his eyes.

May ran towards him as he fell to the floor unconscious landed at her feet. She dropped to her knee's knowing that there was nothing she could do, everyone stood around and looked at the pair in centre of the floor they waited, they waited.

And still they waited for what…?


	10. Unconscious, broken hearted and pain

**Chapter 10 - Unconscious, broken hearted and Pain**

May was still on her knee's with Phil's head in her lap murmuring the same words over and over again, "Please don't leave me, you promised me, Phil. Please don't leave me, you promised me, Phil. Please don't leave me, you promised me, Phil." She sat their rocking back and forth clutching Phil to her as though it would push life back into his unconscious body, hoping that it would draw the life force from her and give it to him and bring him back to her.

Everyone was looking at each other, not really knowing what to do because they had never seen anything like this before, never seen the 'statue' Melinda May drop to her knees and cry.

They allowed a few mores minutes before Jemma took the brave step forward, she was thinking, 'Fools rush in where Wiseman fear to tread' and right now she felt a lot like a fool approaching Melinda May when she was so vulnerable and raw like a cornered and injured wild animal.

She touched her on the shoulder and May whipped her head round causing Jemma to stumble back fear written across her face, "Eh May, you need to let him go, so I can see what has happened… I…?"

"Don't touch him!" May snapped.

Jemma stepped back as thought she had been burnt but she was not stupid enough to test any of Melinda May's cause she knew that she would make good on her threats. She looked at Skye and nudged her head in the direction of May clearly communicating that it was her turn to walk towards the lioness was protecting her king with her life.

Skye made the brave steps each echoing a thousand times louder then the sound her heartbeat but she knew what needed to be done, she approached May from the front let her see that there was nothing happening without her knowing and bent down on her knees so she was face to face with the lioness herself, "Hey, May…"

Her head shot up again and she held onto Phil, her grip tightening more than people thought possible, but the pain written clear across her face and scarring her heart like a tattoo,

"May listen to me please. We are not going to hurt him or you but we need to know what is wrong with him and what we can do to save-"

"Why would he do that? Why would he be that stupid and take that risk? I had only just found him, wasn't I enough? Did I mean nothing to-"

"Hey, hey, stop right there this minute! I will have none of that talk. I know that hitting you would cost me an arm and my face, but if you don't stop talking like that then it is a risk I am going to take."

May raised her eyebrow at Skye.

"AC loves you, everyone can see that, plain as day and you love him. He's an amazing and courageous man who puts himself on the line for everyone he cares about, he knew the risks and he knew what needed to be done. It's not that he doesn't love you; it's the fact that he would be willing to DIE so that you can live and be safe. Please let Jemma look at him so that she can determine what the damage is and we need to check you over to see what damage has happened to you. Because right now, you're the highest ranking Agent on this plane and we really need you!"

May looked at Skye and saw the look of devotion, fear but more importantly concern, she knew that Skye was telling the truth and knew that Skye would understand that letting them touch Phil was a privilege.

"Now May, let Jemma wheel him to the lab and check him over and then she can tell us what'll happen. You and I will go to the gym or to the bar, you can decide, I am entirely at your disposal, you can even beat me up if you want to."

Jemma tentatively walked towards May with Fitz hiding behind her and they lifted the lifeless body of the Phil Coulson and carried him away, Jemma knew that she needed to work and work fast.

One, to find out if she could save him and two, to see what the long term damage is going to be. By the look on May's face, her time was limited and she knew that she would work all night if she could find the answers that she needed.

Skye went on the search for May and found her in the gym beating the hell out of a punch bag, which if she carried on would come straight of the chain or bust.

Skye stood behind the bag and held onto it but was unprepared for the sear force of Melinda May, a roundhouse kick to the bag threw Skye several feet back and she landed on her back with a resounding thud. Skye stood up rubbing her back, which she knew, would be bruised in the morning but walked back to May, "Feel better?"

May raised her hands to show Skye that her hands were bloody, battered and bruised, so god only knows what May had been doing but Skye was happy that she was not on the receiving end of that force.

Skye grabbed hold of May and let her to the side, without moving too far she grabbed the supplies and started to patch up the wounds to her hands, "Look May I know that you are hurting, but this is not going to solve anything. When Coulson comes around, he is not going to be happy that you've done this. I for one am-"

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT HE IS GOING TO? THAT IDIOT COULD'VE FINISEHD WHAT LOKI COULDN'T!"

She slammed her fists on the worktop, scuttling the medical supplies across the room. Skye said nothing, just picked up the supplies and got her a drink, letting her vent, however, praying that Jemma could do the miracles she was well known for.

"No matter what May, I am going to sit here, you can beat and scream or whatever you need, I am always going to be here."

May looked at Skye and patted the seat next to her and nothing was said but a peaceful settlement had resumed in the air.

Back in the lab, Jemma had strapped Phil Coulson to the machines and was praying that when she took the bloods it would give her some of the answers she desperately needed, but would they provide the happy ending everyone wanted?

She looked up in the air and said a silent thought for all deities to help and Fitz get answers, helping to mend all the broken hearts, but most of all so that Melinda May could get the man that she so richly deserves.

Jemma was still wondering whether the price they had paid was too high?


	11. The sleep, the love and awaking

**Chapter 11 - The Sleep, the love and awaking**

The Bus was in a sombre mood, an eerie silence has descended and a no one was speaking, just working through the night to bring answers that people so desperately needed.

Fitz and Simmons were working around the clock, barely eating or sleeping just studying testing and praying.

Skye was hacking S.H.I.E.L.D. from all angles, searching every file for some hidden remedy or counterpart that she could find regarding the GH325 but not only that, she was trying to stop May from the self destructive path that she had set on.

May was kicking the several bells out of everything in the gym, not a punch bag nor wall was left unscathed, from her kicks and punches. Everyone knew that it was a release of tension and pain for her so they said nothing but they knew it was best to send Skye down to check on her.

Other than May being in the gym, the other place that they would find her is by his bedside in the lab with Jemma, phrases such 'You said that you wouldn't leave.' 'I told you, not to do it' and 'You told me you loved me and I want to say it back.'

Skye entered the lab and saw May's head lolling backwards and forwards trying desperately to stay awake, she looked in desperate need of sleep and something to eat.

Skye slowly walked towards May, ensuring that if she looked around she would see that someone was approaching and not attack Skye, like she had done before.

"May, May can you hear me? You need to go and get some proper sleep." Skye went to tap her on the shoulder but before she even made contact a hand shot up and grabbed her wrist, "May, May! It is me, Skye please let me know that you can hear me."

"I can hear you, I have not long since put my head on the bed."

"That's fine but can you release my wrist, I am attached to it and it helps with hacking."

Skye knew what needed to be done with regards to May before she succumb to utter exhaustion or cause some damage to the Bus when she was flying.

She had been speaking to Jemma and had been given a tranquilliser to try and slip to the formidable May, she knew that it was a major risk that could cost her a stay in a hospital, but she care deeply for her. May had given her a chance and she was not going to let her injure herself, especially if they managed to bring Coulson back because if May didn't do something then she knew that he would.

Whilst the May/Skye dilemma was going on Jemma was in a room with Fitz, he was looking at the frequencies that Sneezy and Dopey had emitted along with the mechanisms that were used to fix Phil Coulson's heart. Fitz was thinking that there may had been some mechanical or electrical reason for Coulson to drop down causing at interference with GH325 but Jemma was not so sure she knew that he had not come into contact with electricity had done the relevant tests and found nothing, so she went back to it being related to the GH325 contaminated blood circling around Coulson at this time.

She found that he had previous Endocarditis that he was being treated for before Loki stabbed him but so far as she knew there was nothing that she'll find with the tests she'd done so far. She knew that she needed to get some sleep and see if her head was clear in the morning, she went and poked Fitz, nudging him to her bed so they can get some much needed rest.

May had walked to her room with Skye in toe, "You don't have to follow me you know, I can get to sleep on my own."

"I never said that you could not, I just brought you something to eat before you went to sleep. I haven't seen you eat all day."

May gave Skye a look up and down but did not doubt the veracity of what she was saying, Skye put the plates down and started to eat. May did the same but silence was thick in the air, a tense heavy silence that Skye was unsure how to break or whether she should. She was worried for May and what would happen if they could not help Coulson. After they had finished their meal and Skye was satisfied that she had eaten something, she left to see how the resident geniuses were doing and if they were any further along then when she left them an hour ago.

Skye walked to the lab but found it to be empty and was concerned that something terrible had happened, she raced around the bus until she saw the door to Jemma's door ajar and was happy to see Jemma asleep on the shoulder of Fitz with a protective arm around her waist.

Skye walked over to Coulson, 'I don't know if you are alive or not, if you can hear me or not but what I do know, is if there is something somewhere, please point me the right direction. We need you, but more importantly AC, May needs you. I am finding out about the woman beneath the armour and know that there is a wonderful, protective lioness that needs her King, her mate and soul mate. Please Coulson or whoever is listening please can you point me in the right direction.'

Skye walked away when she heard a thud up on the floor above, Jemma and Fitz came racing out of the room hair ruffled eyes partly closed from sleep,

"What the hell was that?" Fitz looked adorable and Skye had to laugh, "Well lets just say, now we can work in peace knowing that May is not going to be hovering or demanding, so lets just say she's resting…"

Jemma looked at Skye, "Please tell me you didn't…?"

"Didn't what?" Fitz asked.

"You didn't?"

"DID NOT WHAT?" Fitz was getting tennis neck at this rate, his head moving like he was in a tennis match between the two women, clearly oblivious to what was happening.

"What? All I did was help her sleep. Its not too bad, right?"

Jemma looked at Skye like she had five heads and said, "Of all the stupid and reckless things to do? You go and slip May a tranquilliser? Are you mad? Wait until she finds out what you have done."

The colour drained from Skye's face, "Oh my god, she is going to kill me."

"You bet your arse on it, she'll give you a real bollocking! But right now I need to test Coulson's blood to see if anything has reacted." Skye didn't understand what 'bollocking' meant, but it didn't sound good.

"With the amount of time that you have prodded and poked me I am surprised that I have any blood left, are you sure this is necessary?"

The entirety of the room whipped around to see the one and only Phil Coulson stood in the doorway, albeit looking rough but none the less a very much alive Phil Coulson. Jemma walked up to Coulson and said, "Sir, Coulson…eerrrrr" before another word could be uttered Jemma Simmons collapsed at his feet and face planted the floor.

"Was it something I said?" Coulson looked partly amused partly concerned, Skye knelt down and slapped Jemma across the face until she came round. "Hey Skye, what happened? I could have swore I saw Coulson standing in my door way."

"Eh, Jemma he was and he still is!"

"Oh…OH OH OH! YOU'RE ALIVE, OH MY GOD, YOU'RE ALIVE… PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE CAN I HAVE VILES OF YOUR BLOOD TO EXPERIMENT ON? IT IS YOU? IT HAS TO BE YOU? I CAN THINK OF NOTHING ELSE…OH PLEASE YOU'RE A SCIENTIST DREAM…!"

"Jemma, if you stop shouting and let me get a word in edge ways, you can test me as much as you want but I want a bath, change of clothes and to know where May is."

"Eh that might be a problem, she is sleeping of a tranquilliser." Skye smirked.

"Whose bright idea was that?" he looked directly at Skye, "I do not want to know, but you had better hide when she wakes up."

"Oh, I intend to, but please can we make sure you're fighting fit before she wakes up? I don't think she is going to leave you alone when she does." Skye smirked again, she was super happy her father figure was back and was relieved that he 'looked' appeared relatively well.

"I don't intend to let her out of my sight either…" He walked to go and get dressed, turned back and said, "I intend to make her my wife."


	12. The end, the cure and the vow

**Chapter 12**

They all looked at each other and the gravity of the words spoken hung in the air, "Did you just say what I think you said?"

"Oh my god, a wedding, I am so happy mama and papa are going to get married." Jemma was jumping up and down.

"That's if she says yes!"

"Oh AC, are you blind, the only way she would not say yes is if you were dead, which until 30 minutes ago we weren't sure if you were or not." Skye smirked and gave him a nudge.

Jemma came back with a syringe and five vials to fill and test Coulson's blood, "You sure I'm going to have anything left when you've done prodding and poking me?" Coulson looked concerned with the amount of blood required to fill the vial.

"Look, you have been psychologically and biologically attacked, yet here you are as though nothing has happened, apart from the scars across your chest. I need to know what it is and if May has been…"

"What do you mean? You think May's been affected?"

"Well when you were unconscious she decided to go all Bruce Lee on the sentient and went literally round for round with the thing before ripping its head off. I need to be sure that it is your blood that was the cause of the problem, and in turn, a possible solution, or is May at risk?"

He held out his arm without hesitation, the mere mention of May would have him walking over broken glass, bare foot, if it kept her out of harms way.

He would deal with her later when they found out what was going on with his blood and then he would ask her to marry him. He was going to give her a telling off that's for sure, no one that he loves takes on something they have never dealt with before, on their own, without him saying something.

"Sir can I just check your vitals?" Fitz was primarily concerned with his heart and brain ensuring that the powerful electric waves emanating around the Bus, had not caused any damage to him but also a sneaky way of getting a physical.

Four hours later and Jemma concluded that it was part science and part Coulson, "Well sir, I believe I believe that they manipulated the GH325 in your blood to allow them to influence your organs. As you know the blood flows throughout all the body and the more they could influence, the stronger the force was and that is why I believe that they were trying to touch you. Physical connection would cause a rush in the blood flow and elevated heart rate, this then reacted with the altered GH325 and triggered a healing mechanism in your body."

I heard a phrase being mumbled at night, something that sounded like, "Tui gratia Iovis gratia sit cura."

Jemma looked taken aback, "Oh my word, that roughly means 'Let the grace of Jupiter be the cure for your sake."

"What does that mean?" Phil looked concerned.

"It means that whoever was chanting it was bargaining with other worlds to sacrifice their life for yours. They chanting for the sentient to take them instead of taking you and they were willing to give them everything in order that they spare you. I don't know the full incantation but I recognise it from a thesis I studied when comparing magic to science and it was one of the quotations I came across, but I didn't think that-"

"Jemma, are you absolutely positive that nothing will happen to May?" Coulson now looked pale and petrified at the prospect of losing her over something so stupid that she did.

"I would need to do another scan just to be sure but when I tested her before Skye knocked her out, she was perfectly fine, not fluctuations no anomalies and nothing other than a bog standard scan showing she was fit and well."

Hearing those words he visibly relaxed and knew that he was going to make her his and show her, in the most special way, that she would do nothing but understand how much he loved her.

"How long do I have until she comes around?"

"Eh, how much did you give her Skye?" Jemma looked at Skye, eyebrow raised in disapproval at what she had done. Even though her intentions were good, she knew May would not think so when she finally came around and knew that Skye would need a hiding place from the lioness herself.

"Well, you see I was not quite sure how much to…"

"How much?"

"Well I was trying to make sure that May didn't see me, you know…?"

"Skye, I am only going to ask this once, how much did you give her so I can calculate when she will come around."

"All of it …I errrr, gave her all of it."

"YOU DID WHAT?! DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU COULD HAVE KILLED HER? LUCKILY FOR YOU I CHECKED HER BREATHING AND SHE IS FINE BUT _YOU_ WON'T BE WHEN SHE COMES AROUND! HOW COULD YOU BE SO IRRISPONSIBLE?!"

"Woah, woah, Jemma calm down."

"Skye, I am telling you that I will now have to test her again, to ensure that you haven't done any damage, even though I know _why_ you did it, it was still really dumb."

"Agent Coulson, you have another 5 hours before she comes around and will hunt down Skye."

"Can you check her over to make sure she is ok?" Coulson was concerned at what he heard, though he knew Skye did it for her welfare.

"I'll do it now."

"Fitz and Skye, you are going to help me with a message and say it loud and clear to May." They both looked at each and grinned if the message they were thinking of got said it would be amazing.

May blinked her eyes, mouth gone dry and severely pissed off, she knew that Skye had done something. She was the last person to see her and her head felt a little foggy. When she came around she was going to murder her for slipping something to her, she got up and drank two glasses of water to wet her mouth. She then go up and decide to play a game of 'Payback Skye with a vengeance.'

She stepped outside her room and just saw a light flicker down below she walked towards the balcony of the cargo bay and what she was met with took her breath away.

The walkway was littered with floating candles creating a warm but romantic glow where she noticed a piece of paper, 'Follow Me.' She noticed that these created a pathway for her and every ten candles she found a red rose with 'I love you' written across the front, May couldn't speak her heart was thumping in her chest.

She arrived at the top of the stairs where rose petals were scattered in an array of colour, lavender (love at first sight), single reds (I love you) and yellow (promise of a new beginning).

Silent tears were falling down her face at the thought someone had gone to these lengths just for her but what concerned her is who? She knew of only one man who would do something like this for her but he was lying fighting for his life, wasn't he?

She made her way down the stairs and turn towards the direction of Lola and continued to followed the romantic trail that someone had left for her, she stopped at the top of the ramp a gasp left her mouth when she saw what was waiting for her.

Stood there, by Lola was her man, the love of her life, her king but more importantly her one and only Phil Coulson: the man she fights and would die for. Tears were now free flowing down her face and yet to him she was still the most beautiful thing that he had, or would, ever see in his entire life.

He was holding a bouquets of flowers, a table had been set for the two of them and the roof had been made to look like the stars that were glistening above but to him they were just in her eyes and nothing could compare to that.

He walked up towards her and held them out for her to take and once his hands were free, he wrapped them around her waist and pulled him flush to her stroking the hair out of her face.

Looking directly into her eyes with his emotion written on his face for the world to see, "Melinda May, you are and always will be my queen, I cannot, will not and could not imagine someone else by my side but you. You are the reason I want to wake up in the morning and go to sleep at night, with you by my side. You put your life on the line, which I could never repay, but I don't want to walk this world without you anymore. I don't care how hard being together is, nothing would be worse for me than being apart from you."

He bent down on one knee looked her in the eyes, "Please make me the happiest man to ever live and be my life."

Not a moment of hesitation, she pulled him up, grabbed his neck, kissing him with all her pent up emotions.

There was whooping, cheering, sparklers and banners to be heard and seen as the others above showered the couple who deserve the happiness that they could only find together.

They would fight as a family, work as a family but their hearts would be that of man and wife.


End file.
